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Way back in 1954, Army lawyer Joseph Welch famously rebuked right-wing demagogue Joe McCarthy: "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" One can only imagine what Welch would say today about the vile Internet trolls who can't curb their hatred even when somebody dies.

This month Congress will consider whether to renew the charter of the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank). Ex-Im Bank is a New Deal-era federal program that uses taxpayer funds to subsidize the exports of American businesses. Foreign businesses, including state-owned corporations, also benefit from Ex-Im Bank. One country that has benefited from $1.5 billion of Ex-Im Bank loans is Russia. Venezuela, Pakistan, and China have also benefited from Ex-Im Bank loans.

Population scientists describe the Baby Boom generation as anybody born between the years 1946 and 1964. Which means the youngest of the Baby Boomers turned 50 last year, and the oldest will turn 70 next year, which is just so wrong. We Boomers are the architects of the youth culture. We invented young people for crum's sakes. We're the Pepsi Generation... that had a minor fling with Coke.

Today I am announcing my candidacy for the Republican Party's nomination for President of the United States of America. You might justifiably point out that I-a Democrat-would be an odd choice to lead the Republican ticket. To these naysayers, I counter that by adding me to the field, Republicans would have enough candidates to field two complete football teams. This way, Bobby Jindal gets to play, too.

There are a lot of things I don't like. Jello molds with miniature marshmallows trapped inside the viscous goo. The smell of sweat on the subway. Subways. Sequels (except for the Godfather II). Mosquitos, malaria, musk, Massachusetts and pretty much everything else that begins with an "m." We're not talking hatred here, just low grade aversion. Let's call this "Dislike Speech."

In 1969 my hometown of 18,000 had four grocery stores, seven liquor stores and one big box store -- Gibson's Discount. But in the universe occupied by three Keenan boys, our city had only one of the most important business -- the bait shop. When you spent all day everyday outdoors like we did, you defined your self worth by what you could catch, clean and have mom deep fat fry. And nothing was more important that getting good bait. Minnows, frogs, crawdads, goldfish, salamanders, worms.

I've never quite understood why Republicans will jump to trash talk big government-gleefully calling to eradicate the IRS, NSA, EPA, CIA, etc.-all while embracing the death penalty. As the abundant field of GOP presidential hopefuls all vie to woo the same group of hyper-conservative white evangelicals which make up the party's base, not one of them has attempted to make the case against the government killing its own citizens. For years the tea party has engrossed our national conversation with their reflexive distrust of all things publicly funded. Even so the sentence of death carried out by ...

Reports coming out of Ramadi, Iraq and Palmyra, Syria convey hundreds of dead and burned bodies littering streets and thousands of people displaced and on the run. Loss after loss, setback after setback, the White House remains resolved: The president's Islamic State [ISIS] strategy is an "overall success," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest on May 19.